Toy building unit



Aug. 9, 1932. E. K. woLFE TOY BUILDING UNIT Filed Jan. 30. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 II'NVENTOR Vao Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED smTasf` Wawa P .xriz:Nfr oF-Fica EVERETT K. woLrE; or NEW Yonx, 1\I. .Y.1

TOY BUILmNG UNITv I i i Application `fili January' 30,71980. srialjuq. 424,54af` My invention relates totoy building units, more or less analogous to toy building blocks,

detachably fitted togetherto form such arti v i cles as wagons, animal cages, buildings, aeroplanes and the like, the parts required for this purpose being merely a few pieces of Wood or analogous material and a-few peces of cardboard, each'of the parts being of relatively simple design.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout all'of the figure's.

Figure 1A is -a perspective, showing a small number of my improvedbuildingunits dis connected from each other and ready for use.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a toy wagon 2:2 made up of a few of my improved building units.. TJ Figure 3 is a section on the line 8-3v of F igure l, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

lI `igure 4 is a perspective of a toybear cage made up of my improvedbuilding units.

'Figure v5 is a perspective of a toy chair made up of my improved building units.

' F igure 6 is a perspective 'of a toy building made up of my improved building units.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary section, indicating how the roof shown'in'Figure 6 is mounted in position. z

Figure 8 isjaperspective of a toy aeroi plane model made up of a few of my improved building units..

A number of smallibuilding beams -are shown at 9, 10, 11 and'12, and are substantially alike except as to length.

A connecting block is shown at 13 and is of substantially cubical form in general outline.

A connecting disk is shown at 14, and with others of its kind is adapted for cooperation re uire. i and suitable for use by children and young `the wagon.

with the otherbuilding units, as occasion' may ach building beam 9,' 10 ,11,-12 is pro; videdadjacent its ends with a pair of socket holes 15, 15, crossing' each other. Each building beam 9 and 10 is furtherl provided withl another pair of socket holes 16,' 16, adj acent Vits middle portion and likewise crossing each other.

'Each'of'the'four building beams 9, 10,711 60 and 12. is'substantially square incross section and is provided upon eachpof its-four faces' with a V longitudinal slot 17, extending throughout Lthe entire length of the beam as 'may be seen'from Figure 1.

Each of the fourl building' beams just mentioned is furtherV provided vwith Vextendingportions 19, 19, formed into' dowel pins, which are of proper size to: fit rather tightly into the' h01=,s 15,115,18,1.

-` The beam 10 is in addition provided with. two pair of socket holes 20, 20, extending egtirely through thebeam and'crossing each other as indicated inLFigure l1. i .75

The connecting block`13 is provided with a pair `of socket holes21, 22, extending eni tirely through it and crossing each other, as Aindicated in Figure 1, and is further provided with kerf slots 23, upon four of its sides." 'i W The connectingjdiskjl is provided 'with `a hole 211. extendingl 'centrally vthrough i' it,

and is further provided with ladditional holes 25 extending radially nward/fr'o'm its periphery. lThe frame of the toy wagon shown in Figure l2 is made up by fittingv together` two beams9,- 9 Vand two other beams 12, V12, togethepwith a car d-26, theedges of which ge are fitted'into the adjacentislots 17 ofv the building `beams 9, 9,12, 12.`

A cord or string 27 is connected :with one of the'beams 12 andmayloe used for. pulling 9;; `Four fastenings 28, which maybe 'o r-v dinary paperI fasteners, are `thrust through the central holes of ffour connectingdisks 14 and fthroughl four sets .of socket holes20,

20, and .spread .or` clinched as shown in Fig; W?

The holes 25, extending radially inwardV of the disks 24, are somewhat suggestive vof the ends of spokes, and thus improve the apn pearance of the wagon.V I

If the wagon be left in thiscondition, it is moreor less analogous to ajflat truck, such for instance, as may be used for hauling stone. However, if desired, a top framework can be added, byi'meana ofla numberf 12, as indicated by dotted lines V f -1 :eacliparti'cular kind may be increased or diminishedas, circumstances may require, and the various' units 'may bel grouped together of beams 12, in Figure 3.

In F igure 4 I show an animahcage.` A;

number of building beams 9, 9, 10, 1'0, 111,,1'1 are fitted together somewhatafter the manner of the frame of a small building-,and a number of pieces 29, 29 are Vfitted intothe various kerf slots 17. Spacesz30,t 3lare left between thecardboard pieces, and these spaces; may be considered as doors,- or may be merely used as openings through which the-interior of the cage maybe. readily ob,- served. i i

A card 32- is fitted edgewise into the kerf slot 17- of one of thebeams 9,, located substantially centrally within the cage, and) this card carries a picture 33V of a brown bear, together with the legend Brownbear;`V i Of course any Qther animal could be substituted for the brown bear., p

` 1.11 Figura 61 Show a Small.: buldinszmad upv of my improvedbuilding,units, Inrconstructing thez,frarnewiorkl I;v use a Vnumbervof ;building beams 11;, and` also a number of building beamsr 37,`I these. last. mentioned building beams being like' the. building I beams 9: above deser-ibed, but a little longer. At one end of the building is a card,3.6,lpro-IV i vided with a pictureV 37;V ,ofA a window, and another 'card,'38, having/a picturef39fiof a dfoor; Thesej'two cards; 3 6a1id.39 are fitted into the adj ace'ntv slots. '1,7: Ofl .the building beamsz' 4;); Two other vcards 40,40, provided with pictures 41, 41 of windows,, are similarly fitted 'in s position, and; lcontitute: fthe;V 'side wall of-the building.V 'roof'f34' ismade of 'a singleofpiece. ofr "i; cardboard', bent'or creasedLt'o iformeaj'c'orni'ce This Piece Offlrdbardfs 21150 b'thllllg two ofV its* outer edges, andvt/he .latterV are thrustinto the'adjacent' kerf slot`s,17f,`fa`s`may iv be understood from Figure." Byithis'ari ra-ngement t-he'houseshown' in- FigureV 'is" provided with 1a ratherf'substantial roof,"well fitted into position. ;i Figure 8 is: a perspective of aftofy aelro plane model.

Carriedfi-by aflog' beami32 is `Val connecting i disk-14, which inthisi'inst'ance -representfs theaeroplanecpropeller. VTwo cards; 42, 42,1: are stuck' edgewisef into Fi tejoppositelysv disposediv slot=f11ofthebeamf' 32, and simulate the Wings of an aeroplane. VThe fuselage is made by bending a card as shown at 48, so as to form a trough-like member provided With flat portions 44, 44, extending inwardly and toward each other, the edges of these portions being neatly fitted into the slots17. o i

;Four cards. 45,, 45:` are thrust edgewise slightly into the four slots 17, and serve the purpose of horizontal and Vertical steering rudders. V

Of course the number of building units of toIv 'orrnarticles,v which are simplyV innumerable. w 1.

Qf course as. many units lof each kind may beemployed .as Oasi'qnmay reqvire- I- do:V not limit myselfto thevprecise construction shown, as Variations may be made therein without departing; from my inventionlthe scope of which iscommensuratewith my Clami Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim'as new; and desire to secure byLetters Paient'fas-follews w i toy, building unit intended. for use as oneV of aplurality of similar units' adapted to be connected-together to form a toy build. ing structure, 'saidunit consisting of a single elongated member of substantially uniform square. cross section throughout its length, said vmember having slots extending longitudinally along the length of each of its four side surfacesof. *V .Character to. receive wall forming'fplates therein, saidmember' also having ,holes formed; transversely therethrough in pairs spaced apart along the length o f the member, the t-wo holes of each pair crossing each other in the same plane transrer'sely of the member and being' arrangecl s. o vthat;thetwoends of-one hole 'open through two opposite slots of the member while-the twoends; ofzthe otherfholezepen 1,1 0 through the remainingftwo slotsof the mem ber,sai,`c11holesbeing'all; of the same size, and said member alsohaving'dowelrlike projece tions formed thereon at'its opposite` ends 'eX- tending;int-he direction/oflengthof lthe mern-v ber and each. of the same size'asrsaid holes adapted to besnugly. received, in. any selected holesof'otlier members.

Signed` at New York City, NewfYork and. State of inlthe countyof m v I ,ew York, this 29th O day of-iJanuary,1930'. i i' i i o i EVERETT WOLFEI 

